Silver the Hedgehog: Sol Chaos
by JBCC84
Summary: Six stories, one major adventure as Silver the Hedgehog and his comrades have to destroy a new evil in their present, a creature called Mercury who has flames and magma for a body and can never die no matter how many times it takes to crumble. They also go through strange instances from the past to only put the pieces of Mercury's puzzle back together. Will it be possible?
1. Silver's Story Part 1

My present used to be full of chaos, terror, destruction, and flames. That's the past. Now, my present world is just like every other city except it's more advanced when it comes to technology. Planes last longer in the sky. Subway trains ride above the streets and next to the tall skyscrapers. Cars hover magnetically, and the pavement no longer exists for city streets. Our sidewalks are metal plates collect sunlight for energy in the buildings next to them. Wind turbines sit on the hills that look down at our beautiful, almost glass city. Actually, it's funny because this is called Glass City. Why? Though the buildings are made out of mostly clear metal, the sun reflects down on them as if they were made out of glass, so now you see where we got the name from?

As guardian of Glass City, it's my job to glide around to see if there's any trouble and stop it from happening. Lately, I've been using my telekinetic powers to toss petty thieves into police cars. There's nothing much to do around Glass City since almost everything is perfect. Still, it's my job to see that everyone is safe from harm. It's a boring job, but it's not an exciting one either.

If there's anything I remember from my former present, it's the fact that I've been busy with trying to keep Iblis in line. Not only that, but I've had a friend to help me. My last memory of Blaze is when she seals Iblis into her own body and became the future Iblis trigger if something bad happens to her. Then, I've sent Blaze to another world to protect her from history repeating itself. After Sonic has changed the past, I don't know where she is or if she exists in this time period. In this present, I'm not alone, but I don't have a partner when it comes to fighting evil as I used to.

The sun goes down, and the moon shines on Glass City now. The street lights flicker from under the sidewalk and street tiles. Most of the apartments have their lights off since people are going to go to sleep on a work night. Everyone seems to be at home except me. I'm still busy trying to watch out for criminals. I hop from building roof to building roof to get a better glance of the streets. For an odd reason, I'm more energetic at night. I don't live on coffee or stuff like that, but I still manage to stay awake throughout the day. On a Friday night, everyone should be out doing something interesting, but the streets and sidewalks are empty. I'm confused, but that makes my job somewhat easier.

"I think I should hit the hay for the night," I whisper to myself after a long hour of nothingness and flying around. I fix my gold, blue-striped bangles and head to the inner part of the city, where my apartment is located. It isn't a moment into the flight when dark clouds start to rumble. It makes me shiver, but I think nothing of it and continue my way. All of the sudden, a red bolt shoots down, and I'm only lucky to fall onto another roof before getting struck to death. "What the heck was that?"

Police sirens sound and grow louder as they pass the building I'm standing on. Police choppers zoom like jets overhead. The wind brews harsher, blowing my spiky hair back.

"This is something odd," I say to myself. "Well, that means I can take a challenge for once."

* * *

I jump from roof to roof until I arrive at Town Quarters, where the mayor is trapped inside. Police hover cars surround the entrance, where a red, fiery figure hobbles around like a peg stork. It's more than obvious to see that this creature is not human or anything natural to the normal level. Its white eyes are glowing to the point that it's blinding. The police officers have their guns held high and goggles over their eyes to see clearly.

The head of the squad calls out, "On my mark, men. Aim. Fire!"

Guns blast at the beast, but as soon as the bullets strike, they go through the body and pierce through the Town Quarters column on the building's right side. The beast of flames and liquid heat doesn't move a muscle. The bullet marks were nonexistent.

"That did nothing!" freaks one of the lower class officers.

"Pull back, men!" mandates the head, "Pull back!"

The creature doesn't even move from that spot after the police begin to retreat. He only stands and shoves fear into the police officers' souls.

"Well," I say with a heavy sigh, "it looks like it's my turn to take control." I leap off the roof and land on my two feet and right hand to keep my balance. Behind me come the "It's Silver the Hedgehog!" and "Silver can defeat that monster!" As much as I like an audience, my attitude towards a battle is making sure that everyone is safe from harm. Overall, I'd rather not have anyone in my way as I'm fighting. "Alright, Fire Ball," I tell the creature, "if it's a fight you want, you got it."

The moment the fire monster hears my voice, it lifts up its right arm, and it stretches until its hand is close to my face. I jump to my left direction and roll.

"Not bad, but let's see if you can dodge a little bit of telekinesis." I snap some of the garden rocks into my force field, and they go swinging at the thing with every punch I throw. A few rocks miss due to my bad aiming, but when they do fly at the beast, it blocks them with a fiery shield. "It's no use dodging me! Try something bigger." I slash my hand down the middle of the monster, and a giant tree branch breaks from its master and falls on top of it. The figure becomes a mash of magma pretty quickly, and there are almost two halves of this creature by the time the branch stops moving on the ground. "There! Finished with you."

The burning glop trembles, burning the branch into nothing. Once the consumption is finished, the magma of the monster slithers like a serpent past my feet and onto the sidewalk.

"Hey, where are you going, Lava Puddle?" By the time I can catch up with the monster, it already disappears into the sewer drain. What idiot goes into the place where it's going to die? "Well, that ends that, I guess. I better get back home before Caylyn starts having a heart attack about my whereabouts." With that said and done, I wall-jump from one of the shopping buildings and glide my way back to the apartment. There are still questions rambling in my head. What was that creature? Since when did it show up? Lastly, where did it come from? As much as I want to stay up all night to figure that out, I have priorities, and that beast isn't one of them tonight.


	2. Silver's Story Part 2

**Disclaimer: Caylyn Tanner is the name of one of my human OCs, and you will be seeing her in Sonic Cross Worlds...or at least see her mentioned.**

**Hedgie is not mine. She belongs to ask-hopeforanewfuture, a Tumblr ask blog. The difference between her in and the one in the blog is that Hedgie is marked as a guinea cat here when the blog has her as an unknown species.**

**~chan is used when one is speaking to someone familiar in the Japanese language.**

**"Nii-san" is older brother in Japanese.**

* * *

The night is long, but my sleep is short-lived. Morning in Glass City is bright and sunny as it would be in any other city when there is no sign of a storm coming around. The housewives open their windows to fan out dirt from rugs or just the smell into the outside. Since it's summer break, children are running out of their apartments to go play whatever their hearts desire. You can hear guinea cats and shepherd foxes meow and bark from the yards. None of these things can wake me up though.

As soon as my alarm clock rings, I smack it to shut up. Then, I turn my body to face the wall. "I can't stand Mondays," I moan. It's not just the fact that Monday gets everybody into a funk. My body is weak on Mondays, and it will always be like that. I'm not in control of it. It's like a weekly sickness that goes away after Tuesday comes.

"Onii-san!" buzzes like a fly into my ear.

I flail around in my bed until I slip right off, taking my bed sheets with me. The struggle remains that until I pop my head through a hole in the mess. Standing above me is my adopted one, Caylyn, and she's holding our little, black, white-tummied guinea cat, Hedgie, in her arms. She's still dressed in her pajamas, which possibly could mean that she's been up for a couple minutes. "Caylyn," I hiss, "how many times do I have to tell you not to disturb me when I'm sleeping?"

"I heard your alarm clock go off, onii-san, and you didn't get up," she replies, putting her arms at the side, which puts Hedgie under her right armpit. "You didn't forget, did you?"

"What? Silver the Hedgehog doesn't forget anything...but what are you talking about?"

She stomps her bare foot onto the floor. "You said you were going to take me and Hedgie to the beach today! Did you forget that when you came home late last night?"

My gold eyes widen, and I go straight to standing. "Oh, right! Summer break started for you, did it?"

Caylyn doesn't respond to me this time. She only raises a human eyebrow. Though Caylyn is only a few inches taller and two years younger than me, her glares are pretty intimidating. I shouldn't be like that, but my legs are turning into jello the more I stare into her brown eyes.

"Alright. Just pack your bag and put on your swimsuit, sweetie. I'm packing us breakfast and lunch as soon as I reach the kitchen. Don't forget the sunscreen, Caylyn."

"I'm twelve, Silver, not two."

"Just do what I tell you to do. Oh, and make sure Hedgie is fed before we go. Gummi Gobstoppers are not going to keep her full on the trip."

She scoffs. "Hedgie swallows those things like you do with chilidogs. Oh, and by the way, Silver, I don't want to eat those for lunch. I'm trying to eat healthy as you said."

I release a long, heavy sigh. "I know, Cay-chan, I know.

* * *

Though I'm more experienced in this world, Caylyn has more spirit than I do. I can't seem to understand it since it has been two years since her parents, Korra and Haruka, died during their third honeymoon. Though the reason for their deaths is unknown, what was made clear was what they've written in their wills. Korra and Haruka both agreed that guardianship to Caylyn was appointed to me if anything happened to them. Caylyn's and my families have been bonded together for years. Nine generations to be exact. Our families go back almost 200 years, but from what I recall, it's less than that because that's when our ancestors first met and promised a bond stronger than life. Because of this, not only is it my duty to make sure Caylyn grows up to be the beautiful human woman she will be, it's a promise to the heavens that I will never break.

Caylyn is twelve, but she acts like she's still ten. I can't blame her because she wants to remain the age she was when her parents left and never came back. It's not easy trying to tell an adolescent what to do, but as the older brother I have to be, I need to convince Caylyn that the world isn't always a nice place, so she can't be innocent all the time. Innocence is her precious trait. I don't want her to get rid of it, but it can't show either.

As soon as we get to the beach, Caylyn puts Hedgie in the sand, and our little guinea cat starts hopping around as if she were in snow. I was walking Caylyn home from school one day when we found little Hedgie in an alleyway, coated in dirt and scratches. The poor thing was probably a month old then. I still don't know how she survived the outdoors by herself, but I don't regret taking her in. Caylyn needed a friend, and she fell in love with Hedgie the moment we saw her. I did, too, but not as much as Cay. Hedgie loves to eat my Gummi Gobstoppers, which I don't appreciate, but what can I do when Caylyn steals them anyway? Because of Caylyn's sense of responsibility, Hedgie is happy, healthy, and adorable.

Caylyn removes her sundress, and all she has on left is her one piece suit that's bolded pink. "Silver, Hedgie and I are going near the water," she tells me.

"Don't go in it without telling me first and don't let Hedgie go in too far," is my reply.

"I won't." Then, Cay and Hedg go skipping towards the calm waves.

I'm not worried about those two. Caylyn may be naïve at times, but she's not stupid. I stick the umbrella in the sand, turn it, so the shadow is facing under my blanket, and decide to take my nap once again. The sun can be nice once in a while, but this summer is pretty brutal, so I don't want to burn. My sunglasses go on, and it's Snoozeville for me.

My nap doesn't seem so long the next time I hear Caylyn's voice. "Silver! Onii-san!"

I jerk my upper body up quickly. "What is it, Caylyn?" I respond in a call.

"There's something in the water! It looks like a person!"

I jump up, but my head goes on hitting the ceiling of the umbrella. "Oof! A person?"

My adopted sister is jumping and pointing out at the ocean. "I can't see if he or she is drowning, but there's someone floating out there!"

* * *

With Caylyn, holding Hedgie of course, on my back, I fly out and over the sea in search of this person she's speaking of. We don't get drowning cases in Glass City that often, hence why there's no lifeguards in the city anymore. Occurrences like these are my job, and I guess it's not as dull as catching thieves, but because of that creature yesterday, saving people from the ocean comes second in the interesting department. The sea is very blue and clean, which is why I let Caylyn play in it in the first place, but when the beach gets rough, that's when it becomes a danger.

"Do you see anything, Cay-chan?" I ask her since she's my second pair of eyes.

"I think he or she is further ahead, Nii." A moment later, "There! I see someone now!" she shouts, pointing almost directly below me. "It's a girl!"

I see it, too. The person is not human, but I can see that she has human qualities. I almost don't see her because the fur is white, but what makes me notice this girl is her purple ears and the fact that she's laying on a wooden raft that kinda looks like tree bark. "We need to get her to shore."

"Is she...dead?"

"That we know until I check. It's hard to say." Before I can lower, Hedgie escapes from Caylyn's grip and lands on the raft.

"Hedgie!" shrieks Caylyn. Her screams are so loud that they make my ears ring sometimes.

The guinea cat sniffs around the girl and goes to her face. Hedgie starts meowing and wagging her tail.

"Hedgie says she's alive," Caylyn informs me.

"Stay right there, girl!" I call to our pet, "I'm dragging you to shore." I strike a telekinetic rope at the raft, and once I start flying backwards, the raft comes along with me. Hedgie patiently sits with her claws holding onto the bark. What makes this job hard is that the current is counterattacking my powers. If all goes bad, this girl could drown. I'm not letting Caylyn swim her to the shore for the obvious reasons.

We manage to get back to the beach without any problems, and I pull the raft onto the shore to a spot where it won't float away again. Hedgie hops off the raft and goes leaping in the sand again. Caylyn climbs off my back, and I press my fingers against this girl's neck for a pulse. It's small, but it's a sign that she's alive. "Hedgie's right," I tell Cay-chan.

"Thank goodness!" she says with a sigh.

"Hey." I tap against her cheek twice. "Are you okay?" There's no response, so I flip her over, so she's laying on her back. There's a better view of her face now. Her eyes are still closed, and her cheek is coated in sand. Her satchel is left hanging from her shoulder. As I wipe the beach crumbs off, I ask again, "Are you okay?"

She begins to move, and when she tries to speak, only moaning sounds come out.

"Hey, pull yourself together, will you?"

After shaking her a bit, the girl finally comes around. Her red eyes flicker open at last, and my heart rests easily. They stay half open until she finally realizes that someone is standing over her...or kneeling over her in this case. Those red eyes clash with the rest of her fur, but I'm not the one to complain about that. The strange part about them is that they turn white the moment they meet my eyes. She lets out a squeal as she gets on her feet, not standing, and crawls away until hits one of the tall rocks. Now that I look at her more clearly, her outfit is a mess. Her torn shorts and crop top don't suit her at all.

"Hey, it's okay," I try to say, slowing getting on my knees and crawling towards her. "I'm not going to hurt you. I'm just checking if you're injured anywhere. Nothing broken there, right?"

There's long silence in between the three of us, four if I count Hedgie. The white and purple hedgehog girl adjusts her ears and replies, "Oh…I I I'm just fine…I think." She looks down at herself and gasps. "My clothes. They weren't like this before!" With one snap of her fingers, her shirt and shorts were sown together, bright, and clean. With that change, she looks presentable. "There, that's better. Forgive me for that indecent exposure."

The only shocked one out of the four of us is Caylyn. "How did you do that?" she exclaims in question.

The magical girl shrugs. "I don't know. My parents used to say that I was born with powers. I can do a lot of things with them, but I only use them in emergencies."

"Well thought out," is my response to that. She sounds like a hero to me, but I can't be so sure about that. However, she doesn't sound too cocky about those powers of hers.

"Oh, what are your names?" she asks, "How can I thank you for aiding me directly when I don't know them?"

With a smirk, I answer, "I'm Silver. Silver the Hedgehog," holding a thumbs up to my chest.

"I'm Caylyn Tanner," Cay says, clutching Hedgie in her arms, "and this is our guinea cat, Hedgie."

"Well, thank you, Silver, Caylyn, and Hedgie. I'm Lucy Violet, but people just call me Lucy for short."

Chuckling, I respond, "Nice to meet you, Lucy." After the introductions are in place, I go ahead and mention the elephant sheep in the room…or on the beach in this case. "What were you doing in the middle of the ocean? You could've gotten killed if I didn't come out there and pull the raft to shore."

"What was I doing?" she repeats, changing one word in the question. "What I was doing was protecting my gem. There was a huge storm, and I almost lost it, but I held onto it, I did."

"Gem?" asks Caylyn, "What gem?"

Lucy goes into her satchel and pulls out a yellow, diamond shaped emerald. I know that shape and glow from anywhere. "This."

"It's a Chaos Emerald!" I blurt out, backing away a smidge.

"Yes," she replies. "I had this one in my possession for years, and something in me says that I need to find all seven emeralds immediately."

"Why's that?"

"I don't know. It all happened while I was sleeping a few nights ago. If I don't search for the emeralds, I fear something bad is going to happen."

Caylyn's eyes widen. "The world could be in trouble for all we know, nii-chan!" she shouts.

"Hush, Cay-chan," I scold her, "Do you want the whole city of Glass going into panic?" A deep breath later, I turn to Lucy and say, "If you need any help searching for the Emeralds, I'd be more than glad to help you find them."

Lucy Violet's eyes grow and are set aglow by that statement. "Would you?"

"Of course."

The smile that shines on her face slowly twists. "I don't know. You don't really know me. How would you know if I was looking for Chaos Emeralds for good?"

"What makes you say that?"

"Well…I'm sorry." She shakes her head. "I have very low self esteem, Silver, and everyone can see that about me."

I approach Lucy and pat her shoulder. "I can see that, but…" My lungs relieve themselves with a deep breath from my mouth. "I can help you fix that. Just let me find the Chaos Emeralds with you."

A small grin returns to her face. "Thank you, Silver. How will I repay you for this?"

"No need. Just tell me where you were heading while you were stuck in the ocean."

Lucy nods and points to the north direction. "As I was coming here, I saw some sea animals heading towards a cave on the other side of this beach. I don't know if it was my imagination or not, but I heard some strange whistling music coming from that direction."

"Nii, didn't that used to be the sea park before the mayor shut it down?" Caylyn questions me.

"I think you're right, Cay. If animals are going over there, something's not right." Ever since we elected our new mayor, the first thing he's done is to make ocean parks illegal in the town, so he closed down Glass City Sea Park, which used to sit on the north end of the beach. It has been abandoned since then. I don't think the mayor would mind if Lucy and I do some detective work since we are doing some mystery solving with animals heading towards the area. "I'd say we check it out."

Lucy throws her arm at the northern direction of the shoreline. "Lead the way, sir."


	3. Silver's Story Part 3

Lucy Violet, Caylyn, Hedgie, and I pass the tunnel to the abandoned sea park. There's nothing left to it actually. All of the underground tanks have been taken out, and the concrete, metal gates, and moss are what's left of it. The water is still fresh and clean though. I guess nature did a good job of keeping that in tact. Still, something seems wrong with this abandoned park. When we go further into it, I can hear dolphins squeak and whales howl. The only animals I would expect in this place are little fish. This park is too small for dolphins and whales. That's when I realize that someone has entered here and started a new project.

"Well, well, well," a recognizable voice appears, "If it isn't Silver the Hedgehog? And I see you brought sidekicks with you." Lucy, Cay-chan, and I look up at the cliffs, and a rocket pod comes floating down to almost our level. A round, fat man with white hair and a white mustache opens his convertible window to present himself. His outfit is blue with silver buttons all over. His black goggles aren't hard to spot as they cover his round eyes.

"Oh, look at this," I mock, "It's the fat, talkin' egg."

"You disrespectful brat," he snarls, "I am Dr. Jason Robotnik, and you will call me as so!"

Shrugging, I reply, "Whatever you say, Eggman."

"Enough from you! You and your little friends have trespassed onto private property, and I order you all to leave at once!"

"Private property?" I scoff. "For your information, Eggman, this property belongs to the law. According to the mayor of Glass City, I am the law, so you happen to be trespassing. Secondly, sea parks are illegal in this city. Did you miss that memo, too, Eggman?"

Dr. Eggman bursts into laughter. "A scrawny hedgehog and the law? Please. Don't make me ask you again, Silver. Leave this area immediately!"

"Or else what?" snaps Caylyn.

"Caylyn, don't," I hiss.

"Or else I'll do this." A claw shoots out from the rocket pod, and it snatches Caylyn and Hedgie in one grab.

"Nii! Lucy!" she cries.

"Caylyn!" Lucy and I both scream.

Cay-chan kicks, and Hedgie meows for help. "Let go of me, you ugly, old fart!" she shouts at the top of her lungs.

"I warned you twice, miss, and I don't go back on my word," Eggman says too proudly. He looks back at Lucy and I, and he explains, "If you want your little girl back, Silver, you're going to have to fetch her yourself. Meet me at the edge of the park...if you can make it that far that is." As Eggman flies off with Caylyn screaming our names in tow, the doctor's laugh is the loudest it's ever been during the whole confrontation. "Silver!" Every time she cries, it makes me cringe.

"We have to get Caylyn back!" I exclaim to Lucy. "Who knows what Eggman's going to do with her if we just stand here?"

"I'll help you," Lucy responds, pounding her fist into her other hand, "That man won't get away with this without a fight."

"I couldn't ask for more, Lucy. I'll fly over the concrete while you take the paths. Watch out for any traps Eggman's set up. I highly doubt that he made this easy."

"Don't worry about me, Silver. The only thing on our minds at this moment is not the Chaos Emerald. It's that innocent, little girl."

"Well, let's move it!"

As Lucy dashes onto the very thin pathway of the abandoned...or not-so-abandoned sea park, I glide overhead as a shortcut. Looking down at the water, I spot a few tanks that weren't there the last time I've checked up on this park. These tanks have to be Eggman's since they are crowded with poor dolphins and whales. I've made a goal to complete two missions this fight. One, get Caylyn back. Two, free these animals and bring them back to the ocean, where they belong.

"Luce! I want you to follow my lead on this one, 'kay?" I call.

"Just tell me what to do, Silver!" she replies.

I stop at the first tank and face my palm towards the metal gate. My telekinesis overpowers the automatic lock, and the gate lifts from the water to the highest point it could go. "Get the dolphin through the door!"

"No problem! Animals are my specialty." Lucy kneels to the edge of the tank and pushes her hand forward. Small waves grow to larger ones, and with that being the case, the dolphin follows the magical current under the gate and back into the ocean, free as a bird.

"You truly are amazing, Luce."

"Less talk, more rescue!"

"Good point!"

In total, there are four mini tanks, keeping these dolphins and whales captive. As we keep going, the more the animals are starting to get the idea that we are the rescue squad. The biggest of the mini tanks contains the whales. They howl like fox wolves as we approach the tank.

"Don't worry," I call out to the whales, "We're opening the gate." I flash my telekinesis at the gate, and this one is a little harder to get it to move upward. "Why doesn't…it…move?" Before I know it, the gate drops back into the water, scaring the whales into more howling. "It's no use. I can't open it."

"Leave it to me, Silver!" shouts Lucy from the side of the tank. She pulls out the yellow Chaos Emerald from her satchel and holds it tightly in her right hand. "Chaos…Blast!"

_Chaos Blast?_ There is only one person, besides me, and I'm still learning how to control those moves, I know who uses the Chaos Emeralds for that kind of power.

A large, yellow beam of light shoots out from her hand that holds the Emerald, and that blast busts the gate into smithereens. The whales cover themselves, splashing water over our heads with their giants tails, and one by one, they escape the tank without a problem.

"You know...Chaos Blast?" I ask Lucy at last.

She heavily takes her breaths and nods. "I do. You know what it is?"

I nod as well. "Does that mean…you know Chaos Control, too?"

"I know everything. It's in my genes. Now, come on. We have to get to Eggman before he hurts Caylyn."

* * *

The last part of the sea park is guarded by a tall wall, which hasn't been here before either. This has to contain the largest tank in Eggman's new sea park. This gate isn't much of a pain in the butt as the whales' gate, so I telekinetically pull the bars to the sides like ripping a piece of paper in half. Lucy slips through, and I go after her because, you know, ladies first. We dash into the hall and out of it just to see Eggman's rocket pod floating next to a hanging cage that contains Caylyn holding Hedgie in a death grip.

"Give up, Eggman!" I shout at the top of my lungs, "There's nowhere left to run!"

He laughs three more times before speaking. "Congratulations on making it this far, Silver and shorter, white, and purple hedgehog I've never seen before…"

"It's Lucy Violet to you!" hisses Lucy.

"Whatever. Since you finally accomplished something for once, why don't we celebrate with lunch? Why don't we have some fourteen-year-old girl and guinea cat steaks?" Eggman slams his fist onto a button on the control pad of his rocket pod.

That button causes the doors of the large tank to open. Once the doors widen enough, the water begins to bubble.

"Onii-san!" screams Caylyn, "I'm scared!"

"Hold still, Caylyn!" I call back to her, "Lucy and I are coming!" We don't even take two steps, and the ground starts to rumble. "Wha? What's this?"

From the tank, a giant sea creature leaps out, nose first, and takes a snap at Caylyn's cage. My adopted sister shrieks at the highest pitch I've ever heard in my entire life.

"What was that?" I exclaim, eyes large and burning.

Lucy takes one quick glance into the tank and watches this giant fish-like creature swim in circles. "It's called a tiger whale shark," she tells me. "The biggest, most dangerous shark to ever live in the sea on this planet." She looks up at Eggman and shouts, "How on earth did you get this monster?"

"That is not of your concern, my dear," he replies, twisting his mustache in between his gloved fingers. "However, I can make a deal with you since you and your boyfriend made it this far to rescue a little girl."

I push Lucy backwards, so I could keep her secure from anything that Eggman plans to do in a place like this. "What faulty deal do you want that makes Caylyn look like a sack of flour to you?"

"Faulty? It's to save her life, and here it is. I'll close the tiger whale shark's door and lower the girl's cage if you hand over your Chaos Emerald."

_How did he know that Lucy had an Emerald with her?_

"Don't act like I don't know what I'm talking about. I saw the explosion, and I know it was the work of a Chaos Emerald, not by any paranormal activity." Eggman presses a button, and the claw comes out. "Just hand over the Emerald, and the girl goes free."

"I'd rather die!" snaps Lucy, stomping her foot into the concrete.

"Lucy!" I shout back, holding my hand at Eggman before he would do anything before the answer is made clear. "Are you meaning to tell me that you are going to let Caylyn die over a Chaos Emerald?"

"You are forgetting our mission, Silver," she hisses.

"I'm not forgetting it. I'm deciding in between something non-living that important to you and living who is special to me."

"Listen to him well, child," Eggman says deeply, "I kept a promise, and a life is on the line. Make sure you choose wisely."

I take Lucy's hands and stare directly into her eyes. "Lucy, please. We'll get it back later. We need to save Caylyn."

"Silver!" shrieks Cay-chan from behind. Her screaming hurts me. I can just feel my heartstrings snap like too tight violin strings.

She starts to shake. Her lips quiver. Still, after a moment of thinking, Lucy goes into her satchel and pulls out the yellow Chaos Emerald again. She cups my hands together, and the Emerald is now in my possession. "Do what you must," is all she can say, and it's very quiet.

Before I turn back to Eggman, I whisper, "Don't worry, Luce, I got this all under control. This plan is in the bag." Her eyes widen, but I completely ignore her. I call out, "Alright, Eggman. It's a deal. The Chaos Emerald is yours."

"I knew you'd make the right choice," the doctor replies. The claw stretches out, and it clings onto the Chaos Emerald. I do not fight back and just let it go. Dr. Eggman snickers as he receives the Emerald into his own grasp. "Now that you did your part, I will do mine." I don't see what button he presses this time, but the look on his face explains what he wants to do.

The shark's doors don't close. The button is to lower Caylyn's cage towards the open tank! My adopted sister begins to scream again.

"Hey! You said you would close the doors!" I shout.

"Whoops," Eggman responds. "Sorry. I pressed the wrong button. I think the door is this button here." _Click._

Oh, it's a door button alright, but not to the shark's tank. It opens the floor of Caylyn's cage, and she's left dangling from the bars. "Onii-chan!"

"You dirty, old scum!" roars Lucy.

"I would love to stay and chat, but I have business of my own to take care of." Eggman covers himself with the glass cover of the rocket pod and starts firing his boosters. "Good luck with the rescue. I heard tiger whale sharks have a cattle's appetite."

"And so do you!" I hiss. "How about some concrete wall for lunch instead?" Pulling my fists back, the back wall comes crumbling down, pieces falling on top of the rocket pod.

"Get ready to catch her, Lucy."

She doesn't even question me even though her face says it all. She just runs to the right side of the tank.

"Caylyn! Hold on tight. I'm swinging the cage!"

"Silver, the shark is gonna eat me before I can!" the girl squeals. Hedgie is squeaking as she grips onto Cay-chan's sundress.

"Just trust me! I know what I'm doing!" A telekinetic coating surrounds the cage, and I push my hand to get the cage moving. I can tell that Caylyn is terrified enough as she is, but this is the only way I can think of to get her to safety. There's not a lot of chain with the cage to begin with, so the swinging makes it more difficult for me to get the cage to the right height away from the tiger whale shark. As soon as I can get it to the maximum height, I shout, "Caylyn, jump!"

"Are you crazy? This is your plan?"

"Trust me, Cay-chan. I won't let you get hurt."

She stares down into the tank, which is the worst thing anyone could do if he or she is dangling and holding on for dear life. I can feel the ground rumble again. "Silver! This better work!" With Hedgie in one of her arms and the cage swinging forward again, Caylyn releases her grip and glides through the air. This also gives the shark the perfect timing to spring back up into the air for his afternoon snack.

"Now, Lucy!"

"But I'm not fast."

"Just say Chaos Control!"

"But…"  
"Trust me!"

Running up and pouncing into the air, she shouts, "Chaos Control!" Just like that, time slows dramatically for Lucy, but to us, she transports from the right side of the tank, to Caylyn's gliding spot, to the left side of tank. During the catch, the white and purple hedgehog kicks the tiger whale shark in the nose, and the shark goes down with a giant splash, creating one last rumble around the tank. Once Lucy lands on the ground, she comes to look at her arms. Sitting in one are Caylyn and Hedgie. Sitting in her other hand is her precious Chaos Emerald.

"Impossible!" she exclaims, "You gave it to Eggman, Silver."

"I did," I respond, "but you didn't see what I did."

"Even I don't understand how you did it," says Caylyn.

"It was simple. Knowing Dr. Eggman, he was lying when he said that he was going to let Caylyn go alive once he had the Chaos Emerald in his possession. Once he had it and lowered the cage, that was when I made my move to crush him under the rubble. Did he escape?" I gesture to the wall, and I see that there is an opening in the pile. "There you have it, but he didn't get away with the Emerald because after I made the wall collapse, I immediately snatched the Emerald and hid it from sight. When you went to grab Caylyn, I zapped the Emerald into your hand, so you could use Chaos Control before that monster could swallow her whole. It was pretty simple if you ask me."

Lucy's eyes are wide, and they are about to lose color completely. "Silver the Hedgehog, you scare me."

"If you want those Emeralds, you have to take those risks, Lucy. Yes, they might give you more life-threatening experiences than you want, but they give you great results."

Before Lucy can reply, Caylyn interrupts with Hedgie squeaking in her arms. She points to a machine in the back and says, "Silver, there's something glowing in that thing over there."

I leap towards the other side of the tank to take a look at what's going on. The machine has to be the old generator for the tanks. Well, it's not going to close the doors to the tiger whale shark tank anytime soon, so I have to be careful where I step. I get down on my knees, and my eyes observe the inside of the generator. "Whoa, Nelly! No wonder."

"What is it?" Lucy calls.

Once I turn back to the others, I carry a purple Chaos Emerald with me. "With this thing, it's easier to control all the tanks from here."

"Two Chaos Emeralds now?"

"Aren't you happy?"

"Happy? I'm…flabbergasted more like."

Chuckling, I pat her on the head and respond, "You'll get used to it, Luce. You just need to take more risks is all." Lucy is cute, but if she wants to roll with Silver, she needs to have a bit more of backbone for once. That doesn't mean she can't learn how to do it. The only issue is that I can only teach one on one. Plus, Caylyn needs to be safe. The only safe place is my apartment. Lucy, it's time for some one and one learning.


End file.
